Board of Supervisors rejects pay raise

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors accepted all of the Compensation Board’s recommendations except for an increase in pay for themselves on Tuesday.

“I will not take a raise,” Supervisor Chairman Denny Stevenson said. “I am more than comfortable with the board’s pay.”

“Since 2009, there have been seven positions that haven’t been filled,” Supervisor Denny Carpenter said. “Elected officials have done a good job, and have saved $407,124. The board has not had a salary increase in six years.”

The board did approve of a 5 percent pay increase for the county attorney and sheriff, and a 4 percent pay increase for the county auditor, treasurer and recorder. The pay increase will mean a raise for their staff, because staff receives a percentage of their elected official’s salary.

The board accepted bids to improve the county’s information system, and selected IP Pathways’ bid of $89,504.77. Their bid was the highest on paper, but offered more services than the other two bidders. It will also save the most money in the long run.

Jasper County Information Technology Department Head Celia Robertson informed the board that server upgrades would provide the county with cloud computing. Because the board passed this, it meant that the county will no longer require eight servers.

Each server can cost the county anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000. The cloud server brings the new server count to two. In addition, it allows the department to repair systems faster if an update fails. With the old system, it took up to eight hours to repair. With the new system, it will now take under an hour.

The board also approved a $5,700 price quote for three software upgrades to WebCTRL5.5. The upgrades are for heating and cooling for the jail. The system has not received an update since installation.

Because the board approved the upgrade, it means that the county will have to pay $3,410 for each update. The original manufacturer is no longer in business, but Jasper County Maintenance Director Adam Sparks informed the board that WHV, Inc. employs staff that worked on products that the original manufacturer produced.

Items included are:

• Spring cooling system and fall heating system — Inspection of the system, and a technician will spend two days on-site.

• Remote support via telephone and Internet access — Up to four hours of remote technical support will be included at no cost.

• Software upgrades — Used for the Automated Logic system as they become available.

• Training — Up to six hours of training is provided for the Automated Logic Control System.

The board also approved an agreement to have the county’s building official provide municipal ordinance administration and enforcement related to the use of property inside the limits of the City of Kellogg. The purpose of the agreement was to establish the terms and conditions of a relationship between the county and the city for codes related to the use of property inside the limits of Kellogg. .

Jasper County Reserve Deputy Sheriffs, Tyler Clement and Rick Eilander, were approved by the board. They will start immediately.